Will Pac-12 Networks get wider distribution in football?

Checked in with Pac-12 Enterprise President Gary Stevenson about a variety of topics. Naturally, we touched on the prospects for a Pac-12 Networks distribution deal -- with DirecTV and/or other carriers -- sometime between now and the start of football.

"I'm confident we'll make a lot of progress in the next 60-90 days," Stevenson said.

He didn't get into details, and I didn't get the sense that he was necessarily referring to DirecTV.

But given how close-to-the-vest Stevenson plays carriage negotiations for the past year, his expression of confidence qualifies as significant.

So which carrier(s) is close to a deal?

Within the league's footprint, five affiliates don't carry the Pac-12 Networks, Stevenson said.

One is a smaller carrier: Cable 1, which is in Arizona and some areas of the Pacific NW.